Spied: 2014 Maserati Quattroporte

What It Is: The 2013 replacement for Maserati’s only current sedan, very little of which is actually visible here. Other than the door handles, windshield, side windows, and the head- and taillamps—which are grafted-on pieces from today’s Quattroporte— there is nothing we can confidently say is a production part of the next-gen Quattroporte. The true surfaces of every frumpy, matte-finished panel, including the hunchback rear window, are successfully obscured. Still, we can make out the new model’s general proportions, which are similar to those of the current car, with the dipping lower window line in particular telling us that voluptuous curves will once again be a Q-porte calling card.

Why It Matters: The importance of a suitable executive sedan for Maserati goes without saying. The ability to keep up with those pesky Porsche Panameras and annoying Mercedes-Benz S63 AMGs around the ’Ring also is important for the credibility of the Quattroporte brand—and thus Maserati—among the fleet-footed aristocracy.

Platform/Powertrain: We already know that Maserati is planning to install revised versions of its Ferrari-built 4.5- and 4.7-liter V-8s in its upcoming SUV, with direct injection and stop/start technology to help save fuel and lower emissions. The same updated engines should find their way into the Q-porte as well. Ditto their attendant eight-speed automatic transmission. We expect Quattroporte and Quattroporte S models to be available at launch; a Quattroporte Sport GTS model is likely to show up a year or two later to keep customer interest alive once the initial buzz inevitably wanes. The next Q-porte could offer all-wheel drive, with a possible hybrid model appearing as well.